Healthy eats 101.

A common concern some friends have made is, "I just don't know what to get to eat!" Like we've all been fed our whole lives but how well do we remember what our parents picked out from the grocery store? If someone had explained to me my freshman year how essential tomato paste is to one's pantry, my life would be a whole different story right now. So, in an attempt to assist fellow friends who are living and grocery shopping on their own, here's a little advice on what to get and how to eat healthy.

First. The basics. Here's a picture of my go-to groceries. The only thing not pictured is bananas and let me tell you, this past week has been a bummer because of my lack of bananas.

Here's the break down:

Basic protein:

• Black beans (Amazing in salad)
• Eggs
• Garbanzo beans/ humus
• Peanut butter
• Tuna

Basic veggies:

• Frozen peppers (I put these in literally every dish!)
• Squash (Zucchini in the summer, squash in the winter) 
• Red onion (Also in every dish)
• Tomatos or caned diced tomatos 
• Greens (Green beans right now. Other times, broccoli) 
• Spinach!
• Potatoes, either sweet or regular 
• Carrots. Always carrots
• Mushrooms

Basic grains

• White quinoa (Can soak up so much flavor!)
• Oatmeal
• Granola 
• Whole wheat flour for break making!
• Tortillas

Others:

• Greek yogurt
• Dressing (Just choose a vinaigrette with tons of flavor. Right now, I'm using a cranberry one from Trader Joe's!)
• Yellow raisins. A sweet snack
• Fruit- seasonal

Wow, lengthy run down! It is intimidating, but start somewhere!

Something I always have to remind myself is to not judge your chapter one with someone else's chapter 20. If eating healthy for you is just having 2 slices of pizza instead of the whole box, that is an awesome step! Take it slow. If you try to shift your life-long eating habits in one week, you are not going to get very far. Change one part of your diet each month. Work hard and keep going if you mess up! Food is so fun! Just try different combinations and play around with flavors. You will develop your own style of eating and flavors and foods. And remember, treat yourself! Eating ice cream and brownies is still ok, just be conscious and eat moderation!

Giving is greater than receiving

August 23rd (yesterday) was the last day of summer camp 2013. I SURVIVED. Honestly, there were times I didn't think I'd make it, but God blessed me with the most amazing co-workers and kiddos. My heart overflows with gratitude to each amazing person I was able to encounter this summer and for the lessons each one taught me. The most impacting life lesson was the one about sharing. I guess I missed this as a kid. Even though I love taking food right off people's plates without asking, I am really not a fan of sharing things like my money. Ask to borrow a shirt or some food and I'm so down. But when you are requesting to take some of my hard earned money, I ain't about to let that go.

The work culture at the Boys and Girls Club is laid back and chill with a little bit of caring. Like we're all just living through the madness which causes us to care about whether you are going crazy or mostly insane for the day. And, if you need help, most likely, someone's got your back. And this help totally extends to lunch food.

I've made cookies and little treats for the staff, but when the day arrived that I was going to the store over break and causally asked if anyone wanted something, I was not prepared for a list of requests, totally about $8. That's like half of my paycheck (just kidding). But I was still not happy about it.

After reflecting about my purchase of oreos and pretzels, I realized my heart was in the way wrong place. If I can bless a group of people I totally care about through a little bit of store bough snacks, why not? Here's a little list of all the kind things my co-workers did for me this summer:

• moved me in
• let me borrow a car
• fed me
• listened to my stress rants
• helped me stay sane
• invited me to a barbecue

Yeah, I gotta let this white-knuckled grip on money go. It's just materials, and it is so rewarding to see people enjoying something you've given to them. So, as I go to move into school today, I'm a little sad because all those wonderful people are also moving in to their schools and I will miss them terribly. But I'm also joy-filled because they are awesome and I cannot wait to see how they impact the world, because they sure impacted me.

Happy "summer camp ended and we survived" faces! 

 

Let's get coffee.

Pumpkin Spice Latte time

This is my bestie. We often get coffee together. Like I would venture to say that 100% of the time we see each other, we also have coffee. Easy to say that we've found the best coffee houses in Omaha, Lincoln, and Chicago. This is awesome because I love coffee.

Whenever I meet new people, I usually suggest getting coffee. It's easy, enjoyable, and a great way to get to know someone. And, most of the time, these new friendships never bloom beyond "let's get coffee."

Yummy pizza for hungry friends

This is a picture of us when we made pizza at my apartment last fall. Seriously, I don't think I laughed so hard. I'm not sure why we couldn't figure out like how to make pizza on a tortilla but it was a hot mess that turned into a wonderful memory I shared with this dear friend.

I believe that we live in a "let's get coffee" culture when we are called to live in a "let's make food" culture. And this isn't just because I love eating food. When bread is broke within a group of people, there is a bond.
After we came back from India, I went out to coffee a few times with members on the team, but it wasn't until I had people over to my apartment, eating food, seeing how I live my messy and imperfect life that I was able to open up about how the trip affected the way I now live.

When we break bread, we are being vulnerable and going deeper that the often times shallow relationships built over coffee. This is a no-brainer, really. Coffee is a crutch we don't need; a liquid that just flows. Food is substance, something we depend on for energy. Food goes beyond the surface and into the intimate parts of people's live. These are the kinds of relationships we are called to build- relationships that can withstand hard times and disappointments. Relationships that are authentic and meaningful. Relationships built on food.